The Legend of SARNATH TEMPLE

Located just 13 km away from the holy city of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganga and Gomati rivers, Sarnath is just a small village and yet one of the most popular religious places in India.

It is the place where Buddha first taught the dharma.

It is also where the enlightenment of Kondanna happened and the Buddhist Sangha came into existence.

Sarnath Temple is one of the four main Buddhist pilgrim destinations.

Several countries which follow Buddhism as a major religion have established their respective temples in Sarnath. These countries include Thailand, Japan, Tibet and Sri Lanka.

Sarnath also holds great significance for Jains as the eleventh Tirthankar of Jainism, Shreyasanath, was born there.

Thus, Sarnath temple is also famous Jain temple and is also known as the Digambara Jain Temple.

Sarnath has been known by several names throughout history, the most prominent one being Isipatana. It was the name used by Pali Canon and means ‘the place where holy men landed’. It is believed that seven weeks after his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Buddha travelled from Bodh Gaya to Isipatana and gave his first preaching here.

There are several other incidents connected with Gautam Buddha which are are mentioned as having taken place in Isipatana. It was here that Yasa came to the Buddha and became an Arahant.

Sarnath became a major centre of the Sammatiya school of Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism.